'Mexico Will Be Lucky To Have You', Says The Top Mexican Diplomat In Nigeria As He Drinks Palm Wine With Me And Toasts To Nigeria-Mexico Relations

Thank God it is Jumu'ah. We pray that the As-Sami, السميع (The All-Hearing), will hearken to your prayers as the Ummah gathers for Salatul-Jumu'ah. May the Almighty God include us on His wake-up list this Jumu'ah and for many more, even as we pray that God would guide us to a state of heart where we are truly grateful for life and use it to serve our Creator and humanity. May Allah (SWT) grant Barakah, Maghfira, Rahma, Taqwa, Shifa, Salama, and Sabri to the Ummah and all lovers of the Mu'min. And for those People of the Book who will celebrate the Sabbath at sundown, I say Shabbat Shalom. As always, I also pray for peaceful religious coexistence among Nigerians, especially in the Middle Belt, and for divine guidance for our leaders to manage our diversity with inclusivity, making Nigeria more progressive and attractive. Assalamu Alaikum and Barka da Juma'ah from my family to the Muslim Ummah and all People of the Book.

Wow, Travis! For a young, white American millionaire looking for love (according to your profile), your pidgin English is very good. I commend you for that.

Dear Olusola, Thank you for your feedback. Yes, Bemigho, short for Oritsebemigho (God help me look after this child), is a unisex name. In fact, my biological mother's first name was Bemigho. I also have an aunt named Bemigho. As an aside, the closest Lukumi dialect to Itsekiri is Ilaje. Your Governor's name, Orighomisan, is actually a full-blooded Itsekiri name. The full name of your Governor is Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa (he shortened Orighomisan to Orimisan, but the meanings are identical-My head (destiny) is good). Thanks again, and may God bless you. Bemigho Reno Omokri

Alhaji Aliko Dangote and Mark Zuckerberg collectively have a net worth of $312 billion. Yet, zoom in on the phones they are both using. Alhaji Dangote uses a modest Samsung Galaxy, while Zuckerberg employs a Samsung S24 Ultra. Both their phones are believed to cost around $1000 or less. And take a look at their dressing. Like their communication devices, their clothes are minimal and functional. And they repeat outfits. Yet, you mock people for wearing the same clothes they wore last week as if you have never heard of soap! You see, the quality of conversations you have on a phone matters more than the price of a phone, just as what is inside your head matters more than what is on your body. Phones are not a flex. They are not a status symbol: buying an expensive iPhone when you are renting a flat or house is false prosperity. And rocking designers when you are not yet a designer of your success is an excess stress that will depress you. Use your money to get out of debt, or you will forever be out of your depth. Instead of letting fashion own you, own property and investments. Fashion loses value. Fast. Investments gain value. Slowly. In reality, most people are only poor because they make poor decisions with their money, which is why poverty will always pour on them and purr at them! #RenosNuggets

Visiting the places you want to see on Earth is much better than people visiting your grave after you die. And we will all die. Don't let any religionist fool you. The only way you and I are leaving this planet is by dying. You even start to die the day you are born. This continues until you have less time on Earth than the time you have already lived. That is why you should enjoy your life. Money facilitates it. But even without money, you can still find time to make merry. Stop worrying about what people think. Do things that make you happy. Sing out loud. Laugh out loud. Wear your hair any crazy way you want. Chase your dreams. And if your dream is a person, chase that boy or girl. Your happiness is your responsibility, not your destiny! #RenosNuggets

"I am deeply fascinated by the Yoruba culture, especially as it relates to raising children. I consider it to be exceptionally good and wish that other ethnic groups would also reclaim their fast-disappearing traditions and culture"-General Yakubu Gowon, on page 384 of My Life of Duty & Allegiance, after a young Nigerian of Lukumi Yoruba origin who was raised in America publicly knelt to greet him during a trip to Baltimore, Maryland, USA, in 2014.

Dear Ebuka, Thank you for your feedback. I used the word 'barbering' deliberately because it is the right term in this situation. Using the term 'barbing' my hair is colloquial. If I were less charitable, I'd tell you outright that it is bad English. The proper phrasing is 'barbering my hair', not 'barbing my hair'. Barbing has been classified by the Oxford English Dictionary as a Nigerian Pidgin (bastardised, substandard) English, meaning that if you use the term outside the area where the patois is used, such as, say, Australia or Canada, few people would understand you. However, more importantly, perhaps you and I can try to read to understand, rather than to react, respond, or criticise. Thanks again, and may God bless you. Bemigho Reno Omokri

It Is A Great Honour To Be a Mallam! When people call me Mallam and think they are insulting me, I just laugh. If you have ever lived in Arewa, you should know that Malam is a mispronounced Arabic word, Mu'allim, and simply means teacher. Notice I said a mispronounced Arabic word. Not a Muslim word. Malam and mu'allim are not synonymous with Islam. They are rather attached to Arabic, which is a language, not a religion. For your information, in Northern Nigeria, before and during colonialism, Mallam, with two Ls, was used by both Muslims and Christians instead of Mister (Mr). Christians were commonly known as Mallam Yohanan Dauda or Mallam Musa Emmanuel, etc. One of the first Christian families in Northern Nigeria was that of Nigeria's longest-serving military ruler, General Yakubu Gowon. They are associated with the Church Missionary Society and Saint Bartholomew's Anglican Church in Wusasa, Zaria, Kaduna State, the oldest church in Northern Nigeria. Christianity began at least ten years earlier near Numan, now in Adamawa. But at that time, those areas (not Numan itself) were in Cameroon. Therefore, any earlier structure there could not accurately be called the oldest church in Northern Nigeria. Mr Gowon's father and father-in-law both used the title Mallam at different times. In fact, General Gowon's father-in-law was prominent in Northern Nigeria as a larger-than-life civil servant known as Mallam Walter Bala Zakari. But Malam, with a single L, denotes that the individual is specifically a teacher. And it is not unique to Nigeria. In East Africa, teachers, whether Christian, Muslim, or Traditional African Religion adherents, are known as Mwalimu, which is their own mispronunciation of the Arabic word Mu'allim. For example, the first Tanganyikan and later Tanzanian President was Julius Nyerere, a devout Roman Catholic. Nevertheless, in his country and amongst his people, he did not use the prefix Mister (Mr). He used Mwalimu because he was a teacher. I have worn made-in-Nigeria clothes since childhood. This photo was taken in 1999. I am proud to be called Mallam or Malam. Either suits me, because I can and will never be ashamed of Arewa or any other part of Nigeria. Bemigho Reno Omokri

Dear Rifa, Ameseginalehu for appreciating my husband. I pray you find a spouse who will love you as my Yene Fikre loves me. Mrs Hana Bemigho

Dear Okofu, Thank you for your feedback. I come from a family that values loyalty and appreciates those who show allegiance to us. Abiodun (Abbey), the driver who drove us to school, still works with my mother. My aides who worked with me when I was Presidential spokesman are still with me and travel with me anywhere I go. The driver who drove my late grandfather, Ogiame Ikengbuwa, when he was Olu of Warri, remained a family member to us, even though he is not a relative. Devotion to people who have given you loyalty is a trait among the Itsekiri. That is why we are called Olukumi people. An Olukumi means your bosom friend. We value fidelity in friendship. And until either of us dies, Jide, AKA Jendor, shall continue barbering me, unless he willingly retires. And if he does retire, whoever he picks will continue barbering me. Anybody who is faithful to us as Itsekiri becomes an Olukumi. Thanks, Okofu, and may God bless you. Bemigho Reno Omokri

To Those Who Wanted Me To Take Off My Cap To Show How Good Jide, The Barber, Is! Let's Promote Nigerians Doing Honest Enterprise!

Chief Obafemi Awolowo had "business acumen, political sagacity, economic wizardry, and thorough man management ability",-General Yakubu Gowon, on page 301 of My Life of Duty and Allegiance.

It is better to go to bed hungry than to wake up a debtor. Stop borrowing. Especially to consume. Live within your means and keep trying to expand your income rather than take loans. Do not even go into debt to start a business. Most businesses will fail. That is a bitter truth. Only borrow to expand an already successful business. Remember, nothing pressures and depresses you like owing money and still being poor, with no business. Therefore, make it your business not to be in the business of borrowing. #RenosNuggets

Dear Ibeke and Eze, Thank you for your feedback. If you care to read my post again, you may notice I never used the term 'barb my hair'. Even if I did, it is not bad English. It is rather not standard English, but still acceptable. The word barb is a noun. The word barber is also a noun. However, it is a special type of noun known as a gerund. A gerund can be used interchangeably as a verb, especially when it ends in ing. Nevertheless, I used the term that he has been "barbering" my hair. A person who cuts your hair is a barber, and the service they provide is called barbering. Thus, it is grammatically correct to say that Jide has been barbering my hair since 2011. This is one reason why I urge people not to rely on AI, but to compose sentences using their naturally developed intellect, because AI can and does limit and then reduce your intelligence by blocking neural pathways in your brain that are necessary for the creation and retention of intellectual capacity, thus making you less sentient. Besides, is it strictly necessary to be contrarian in a post such as this, which celebrates the industry and creativity of an individual? Would you like others to rain on your parade? Thanks again, Ibeke and Eze, and may God bless you. Bemigho Reno Omokri